UFC Fighter Thiago Silva in Custody After SWAT Team Standoff

A Broward Sheriff's SWAT team took an armed man into custody just before midnight Thursday after he barricaded himself inside his Oakland Park home after allegedly threatening people at a jiu-jitsu studio Thursday night, officials said.

A USA Today sports site, mmajunkie.com, reported early Friday that the man was Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Thiago Silva. The site reported that an armed Silva walked into Pablo Popovitch Mixed Martial Arts Academy, 777 E. Oakland Park Blvd., around 7:45 p.m., made unspecified threats and left. No one at the school was injured, investigators said.

He then went to his townhome at 2041 Coral Heights Blvd. and locked himself inside. The SWAT team was called out and a perimeter was set up.

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Debbie Wallace watched as police and SWAT team members swarmed her quiet neighborhood off Northeast 39th Street, with helicopters hovering.

"It's creepy, creepy. It hits close to home," she said. "To be honest with you, I just watched my 4-year-old grandson doing jiu-jitsu in Plantation today. Now I want to take him out of it."

Great, just what the (martial arts) world needs - another great role model...

Anyway, could anyone post some additional/background info for the lazy ones - like some history of Silva vs Popovitch or something? :) Thanks.

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According to anonymous sources speaking to FOX Sports on Thursday, the altercation began because of a domestic dispute between Silva and his wife. Silva then proceeded to the jiu-jitsu school where he made the threats before leaving and ending up back at his home where police arrived shortly thereafter.

Accd'g to Fox News, no one was hurt at the gym, nor were any cops hurt -- but he was charged with two counts of attempted felony murder, one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and one count of resisting officer without violence.

Obviously, we don't have all the facts, but I don't see how someone can be charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery without inflicting some kind of injury. Mere threats are not enough to support a charge of attempted murder, and in order to have an aggravated battery someone has to get hit. It's possible he struck his wife, but then why 2 counts of attempted murder?

Either the reports are not accurate, or someone in Broward Co. law enforcement is overcharging the case.

Apparently his charges have been reduced to " two counts of felony aggravated assault with a firearm, aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest without violence." Also looks like the gym owner was the one who allegedly slept with his wife.

In his mugshot he looks a bit banged up, but the 'resisting' charge is down to 'without violence'...doesn't sound like he fought anybody at the gym, though...

He and his wife were separated since 2012. In that case, she has the right to hook up with anyone she damn pleases. Having slept with someone in the past does not give them the right to control who you sleep with now. More than that, such facts are just plain irrelevant. Spreading rumors about it is BS. It sounds like his campaign of violent assault was over housing anyway (2:23:45).

In contrast, he does not have the right to threaten to kill her by text, nor in person, nor to hold her down, nor to put a gun in her mouth, nor to drive intoxicated to her jiujitsu school and threaten her, her instructor (and who knows--and who cares--whether they're dating too), and everyone else in the gym. (There's a sustained discussion at approximately 2:26:00 about why it was charged as attempt murder versus aggravated assault.) He did all those things. Throw the book at him, I say. Once he's convicted, expunge his record of wins and formally give him a lifetime ban from MMA. Not an easily reneged Dana White "never fight in the UFC again" special, a legally binding ban.

The resisting arrest charge is specified in the video as "resisting arrest without violence". Basically, the cops went to his house to arrest him and he didn't obey orders to come out (2:24:30).

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